The present invention generally relates to film forming technology and more particularly to a method of forming a conductive film by a CVD process and also a CVD apparatus.
Film forming technology is a fundamental and important technology in the fabrication process of semiconductor devices.
When fabricating a semiconductor device, it has been widely practiced to form a semiconductor film or an insulation film by a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process. On the other hand, other processes, such as a sputtering process, have been used for forming conductive films such as wiring layers.
On the other hand, there is a growing need for the technology of forming a conductive film, such as a metal film or conductive metal compound film, as the capacitor electrode of high-dielectric or ferroelectric MIM capacitors, as in the case of a memory capacitor of a DRAM (dynamic random access memory) or a ferroelectric capacitor of a ferroelectric memory device, wherein such an MIM capacitor uses a high-dielectric film or a ferroelectric film as the capacitor insulation film in combination with the capacitor electrode.
FIG. 1 shows the construction of a typical DRAM 10 that has such an MIM high-dielectric capacitor.
Referring to FIG. 1, the DRAM 10 is constructed on a Si substrate 11 in correspondence to a device region 11A defined by a device isolation structure 12, wherein there is provided a gate electrode 14 having a polycide structure on the Si substrate 11 via an intervening gate insulation film 13. The gate electrode 14 thus formed constitutes a part of the word line of the DRAM. Further, a pair of diffusion regions 11a and 11b are formed in the Si substrate 11 at both lateral sides of the gate electrode 14, and the gate electrode 14 is covered with an interlayer insulation film 15 provided on the Si substrate 12.
On the interlayer insulation film 15, there is provided a bit line electrode in correspondence to the diffusion region 11a, wherein the bit line electrode 16 makes a contact with the diffusion region 11a at a contact hole 15A formed in the interlayer insulation film 15 via a polysilicon contact plug 16A filling the contact hole 15A.
On the interlayer insulation film 15, there is provided a memory cell capacitor 17 having an MIM structure in correspondence to the diffusion region 11b, wherein the MIM capacitor 17 makes an electrical contact with the diffusion region 11b at a contact hole 15B formed in the interlayer insulation film 15 via a polysilicon contact plug 16B provided in the contact hole 15B.
It should be noted that the memory cell capacitor 17 includes a lower electrode 17a formed on the interlayer insulation film 15 in electrical contact with the contact plug 16B, a capacitor insulation film 17b formed on the lower electrode 17a and an upper electrode 17c formed on the capacitor insulation film 17b, wherein recent, highly miniaturized DRAMs tend to use a high dielectric material such as Ta2O5 characterized by a very large specific dielectric constant, for the capacitor insulation film 17b in place of conventional SiO2 film or an ONO film, in which a SiN film is sandwiched by a pair of SiO2 films.
Further, it is possible to construct a ferroelectric memory from such a DRAM, by substituting the high-dielectric film constituting the capacitor insulation film 17b with a ferroelectric film such as PZT (Pb(Zr,Ti)O3) or SBT (SrBi2(Ta,Nb)2O9)
In the case of a high-dielectric film such as a Ta2O5 film or a ferroelectric film, it is characteristic that film formation process includes a process conducted in an oxidizing atmosphere. Further, it is generally thought essential to apply a thermal annealing process in an oxidizing atmosphere for compensating for oxygen defects that are formed in the film.
In the case of forming a Ta2O5 film by a CVD process, for example, the deposition is conducted in a 100% oxygen atmosphere or reduced pressure oxygen atmosphere at the substrate temperature of about 450xc2x0 C. Thereafter, crystallization and oxygen compensation process are conducted in an oxygen atmosphere at the temperature of 650xc2x0 C. A similar process is required also in the case of depositing a ferroelectric film such as a PZT film or a SBT film.
Because of this reason, the DRAMs having a high-dielectric capacitor uses Pt, or Ru or Ir, for the lower electrode, wherein it should be noted that Pt is less susceptible to oxidation while Ru or Ir forms a conductive oxide when oxidized.
However, such a high-temperature thermal process conducted in an oxidizing atmosphere can still cause the problem that oxygen in the atmosphere or in the capacitor insulation film 17b may reach the polysilicon plug 16B after penetrating through the lower electrode 17a. When this takes place, there is caused oxidation in the polysilicon plug 16B, while such an oxidation of the polysilicon plug 16B causes an increase of contact resistance and resultant decrease of the operational speed of the device. Further, such an oxidation of the polysilicon plug 16B causes another serious problem that a parasitic capacitor having a small capacitance is inserted in series to the high-dielectric capacitor when viewed in the equivalent circuit diagram. When this takes place, the increase of the capacitance of the memory cell capacitor 17, achieved by the use of the high-dielectric capacitor, is canceled out.
In order to suppress the penetration of oxygen into the contact plug associated with such a thermal annealing process in the oxidizing atmosphere, it has been proposed to use a conductive TiSiN film that contains Ti, Si and N. A TiSiN film is actually a TiN film containing Si, wherein incorporation of Si into a TiN with appropriate amount changes the film structure to an amorphous state and the amorphous film thus obtained blocks the penetration of oxygen effectively.
Even in the case such an amorphous TiSiN film is used, however, it has been difficult to block the penetration of oxygen in the case the thermal processing is conducted at the temperature exceeding 600xc2x0 C. in an oxygen atmosphere, as in the case of forming the high-dielectric film such as a Ta2O5 film.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a novel and useful film forming method and a film forming apparatus wherein the foregoing problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a film forming method of a conductive film effective for an oxygen barrier by a CVD process, as well as to provide an apparatus for forming such a conductive film.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming a conductive film containing Ti, Si and N on a substrate by supplying a gaseous source of Ti, a gaseous source of Si and a gaseous source of N, comprising:
a first step of supplying said gaseous source of Ti, said gaseous source of Si and said gaseous source of N to a surface of said substrate simultaneously to grow said conductive film; and
a second step of supplying said gaseous source of Ti, said gaseous source of Si and said gaseous source of N to said surface of said substrate in a state that a flow rate of said gaseous source of Ti is reduced to grow said conductive film further,
wherein said first step and said second step are conducted alternately.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of forming a conductive film containing Ti, Si and N on a substrate by supplying a gaseous source of Ti, a gaseous source of Si and a gaseous source of N, comprising the step of:
supplying said gaseous source of Ti, said gaseous source of Si and said gaseous source of N to a surface of said substrate simultaneously,
wherein a partial pressure of said Ti gaseous source is increased and decreased repeatedly and alternately.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, said semiconductor device comprising a substrate carrying an active device, an insulation film provided on said substrate so as to cover said active layer, a contact plug formed in said insulation film in contact with said active layer electrically, and a capacitor provided on said insulation film in electrical contact with said contact plug, said method comprising the steps of:
forming a barrier containing Ti, Si and N layer on said insulation film in electrical contact with said contact plug;
forming a lower electrode layer on said barrier layer;
depositing a high-dielectric film on said lower electrode layer;
annealing said high-dielectric film in an oxygen atmosphere; and
forming, after said annealing process, an upper electrode on said lower electrode,
said step of forming said barrier layer comprising:
a first step of growing said barrier on said insulation film by supplying a gaseous source of Ti, a gaseous source of Si and a gaseous source of N simultaneously; and
a second step of growing said barrier layer further by supplying said gaseous source of Ti, said gaseous source of Si and said gaseous source of N in a state that a flow rate of said gaseous source of Ti is reduced,
wherein said first step and said second step are conducted alternately.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a conductive film containing Ti, Si and N,
said conductive film containing Ti with a concentration profile changing periodically in a thickness direction,
said conductive film containing Si with a concentration profile changing periodically in said thickness direction,
wherein said concentration profile of Ti and said concentration profile of Si determine a concentration of Ti and a concentration of Si in said conductive film such that said concentration of Ti is increased where said concentration of Si is decreased and such that said concentration of Ti is decreased where said concentration of Si is increased.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus, comprising:
a reactor evacuated from an evacuation port, said reactor accommodating therein a stage;
an evacuation system connected to said evacuation port;
a first source supply line supplying a first gaseous source containing Ti to said reactor via a switching valve;
a second source supply line supplying a second gaseous source containing Si to said reactor;
a third source supply line supplying a third gaseous source containing N to said reactor;
a pre-flow line provided between said switching valve and said evacuation system for bypassing said first gaseous source to said evacuation system; and
a controller controlling said switching valve,
said controller interrupts supply of said first gaseous source to said reactor intermittently and repeatedly.
According to the present invention, there is formed a region of reduced Ti concentration level, and hence increased Si concentration level, in a conductive film of a Tixe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94N system such that the region of reduced Ti concentration level is repeated in the thickness direction of the conductive film, by interrupting the supply of the Ti gaseous source repeatedly and intermittently at the time of film formation of the conductive film. As a result, diffusion of oxygen into the conductive film is effectively suppressed, and the conductive film of the present invention functions as an effective oxygen barrier.
Other objects and further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the attached drawings.